Wrong: Why experts* keep failing us--and how to know when not to trust them *Scientists, finance wizards, doctors, relationship gurus, celebrity CEOs, high-powered consultants, health officials and more

We live in an age in which the media is constantly broadcasting breakthrough research studies that tell us we’ve been eating the wrong foods, exercising the wrong way, and just doing the wrong things. Then a month, year, or decade later, we hear of a new breakthrough study that indicates the exact opposite, telling us to go back to what we were doing in the first place. It is this inconsistency that David H. Freedman tackles in his nonfiction book, "Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us". Examining how these “experts” get their information, who pays for this research to be done, and how the media delivers the final message, Freedman attempts to determine if and how much each group’s bias alters this message. Freedman’s verdict? A lot. Readers will be enlightened or frightened by the disparity between what research indicates and what scientists and the media report as findings. The following is just one example of how claims can be skewed. Nine young volunteers who were awakened during the night by loud noises were tested to have fluctuations in their blood sugar levels. A major press (given in Freedman’s book) used this study to claim that those who do not sleep soundly have an increased risk of diabetes, despite the weak nature of the study. Those who read such headline articles from major organizations often believe them without question, never having been told of the microscopic sample size of the study or the very tenuous logic used to derive this claim. Readers will be alarmed by the regularity with which this occurs, and the fact that it is not unique to health reports. Freedman’s book is full of examples from every type of expert imaginable, be it medical or mechanical, collegiate or Cosmopolitan. Everyone should read "Wrong", if only to revitalize the critical thinking of the masses. Freedman espouses a skeptical attitude, especially when dealing with experts beyond the normal scope of knowledge. With good logic and startling research, Freedman shows how specialists can flip then flop only to flip again on questions like, “Is red meat healthy?”, “Is running a deficit harmful to our country?”, and “Do bad guys get the girl?”. Often the answer is tainted by who is telling it. The media pursues sensationalism, scientists tailor their findings to get published or please those writing their paychecks, and the Internet is as crowded an informational cesspool as it ever has been. While "Wrong" can’t sort the nuggets of truth from the rest of the garbage for you, Freedman shows how much garbage is being peddled as truth and what signs to look for that indicate a hokey claim.